The NROM cell is a type of non-volatile memory (NVM) cell. The NROM cell is basically an n-channel MOSFET (metal-oxide-silicon, field effect transistor) device with an ONO (oxide-nitride-oxide) stack as a gate dielectric. Using nitride (silicon nitride, Si3N4) as a charge-trapping layer enables electrons (or holes) to be stored in two separate charge-storage areas, which may be referred to as two “bits”, or two “half-cells”. See, for example, Eitan et al., NROM: A Novel Localized Trapping 2-Bit Nonvolatile Memory Cell, IEEE Electron Device Lett. Vol 21, no. 11, pp 543-545 (2000), incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.
Generally, the quantity of electrons (or holes) stored in a given charge-storage area will control the threshold voltage of the half cell, and can be controlled to correspond to at least two distinct program levels. In a single-level cell (SLC) there may be two threshold voltage distributions representing, for example, binary “0” and binary “1”. In a multi-level cell (MLC), there may be four (or more) threshold voltage distributions representing, for example, binary “00”, “01”, “10” and “11”. A lowest one of the threshold voltage distributions may represent an erase state, and the other threshold voltage distributions may represent program state(s).
Programming of the NROM cell may be performed by Channel Hot Electron (CHE) injection or channel-initiated secondary electron (CHISEL) injection, to increase the threshold voltage of the half cell. Erase of the NROM cell may be performed by band-to-band Tunnel Assisted Hot Hole Injection (HHI), to reduce the threshold voltage of the half cell. Reading of the NROM cell may be performed by a reverse read method, to ascertain the threshold voltage of the half cell.